In the insurance and roofing industries, there is a frequent need to measure the roof on a house. For example, a hail storm may cause severe damage to a roof. In order to adjust the amount of compensation suitable to make repairs, the roof must be measured. Measurements are typically taken from the top ridge down to the edge of the roof.
After being damaged, many roofs are dangerous to climb up on to. Damaged shingles can give way under the weight of the adjuster, causing a potentially dangerous slip and fall off of the roof. In addition, many roofs are too steep to safely climb.
Thus, a preferred way of measuring the roof from the top ridge to the eaves is to stand at the edge of the roof and push a tape measure up to the top ridge. The adjuster can stand on the ground, or on a ladder. When the end of the tape reaches the top ridge of the roof, the adjuster takes the measurement from the edge of the roof.
The problem with measuring roofs in this manner is that it is difficult to push the tape measure up the courses of shingles. Each shingle has a thickness, which forms an edge around the shingle. When laid in courses on a roof, the lowermost edge is exposed. As the tape is being pushed up, the end of the tape must traverse this lowermost edge. Because the lowermost edge of the shingle is perpendicular to the direction of travel of the tape, the end of the tape frequently snags on this edge. This snagging makes it difficult and frustrating to push a tape up a roof. Many tapes have a metal lip on their ends. This lip also snags the lowermost end of the shingles.